Betty on the News: Michael Jackson, Sarah Palin, Al Franken, and more

Betty on the News

Betty on The News: Top Stories

Meghan McCain movie, did Jackson’s insomnia lead to his death?, Palin boasts she’d beat Obama in a running race and more

-The Betty Editors

1. Has Meghan McCain finally gotten her fill of ranting on Twitter – and then thinking better of it? Her next project: Searching for a leading lady to portray her in the big-screen version of her upcoming book (which she describes as “Primary Colors meets Tori Spelling’s Tori Telling“). The feisty blonde has yet to recruit the necessary people who could bring her wish to life, but that definitely hasn’t stopped her from daydreaming. Meghan is currently eyeing Hillary Duff and Bradley Cooper because, as she puts it, they are really “hot.” (Of course, no question who would play Palin!). (Newser.com)

2. Did Michael Jackson die in a quest for a good night’s sleep? That’s what Cherilyn Lee, a nutritionist and nurse who reportedly worked with Jackson, claims. She says Jackson suffered from ongoing insomnia and had pleaded for the drug Diprivan. She said she declined to give him the drug because of its dangerous side effects, but a call four days before Jackson’s death from one of his employees made her suspect he had gotten it through other means.

“He called and was very frantic and said, `Michael needs to see you right away.’ I said, ‘What’s wrong?’ And I could hear Michael in the background …, ‘One side of my body is hot, it’s hot, and one side of my body is cold. It’s very cold,'” Lee told the Associated Press.

“At that point, I knew that somebody had given him something that hit the central nervous system,” she said, adding, “He was in trouble Sunday and he was crying out.”

4. Live from D.C. … Former Saturday Night Live Comedian, Al Franken, has finally been declared the winner of Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race after months of court hearings over the election outcome. After a recount, the state’s supreme court declared Franken the winner over Republican Norm Coleman. “I’m so excited to finally be able to get to work, ” Franken said. So off to D.C. the funny man goes, to join all those other funny men on The Hill. (CNN)

5. Temper your use of Tylenol. The Food and Drug Administration yesterday recommended that the recommended dosage for Tylenol be lowered, and Extra Strength Tylenol be made available by prescription only because of the threat of liver damage by the drug’s active ingredient – acetaminophen. The FDA panel of advisers voted to lower the single adult dose to 650 milligrams (two regular-strength tablets), a reduction of 35 percent. They also voted to ban popular pain killers Percocet and Vicodin because they contain a narcotic. Surely painful news for some. (Bloomberg)

6. Things just keep getting better for political wife Jenny Sanford, don’t they? Dishonorable South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was only kidding when he conveyed to the world that he’s a two-woman man – he’s now singing an entirely different tune. This morning Sanford not only told The Associated Press that he met with his Argentine mistress more than a few times, but that he has “crossed lines” — though not the “ultimate” line — with numerous women. Although Sanford refused to comment on what he considers to be the definitive line, it’s probably safe to say he pulled a Monica Lewinsky with more than one of his ladies. (Huffington Post)

…and, ah, what was the cause of all this pain Jackson was in? No one can doubt MJ’s creative genius, but like many artists, his moral standards were, shall we say “creative” too. I think we do Mr. Jackson and his famous family a disservice to deify him. He was no hero, but he could dance your heart out! I’ll be remembering him for his art.